Rick Pitino is known to be one of the best-dressed coaches in college basketball, which is why his most recent outfit choice is making waves. Is it a new era for the 71-year-old?
Rick Pitino, a two-time* national champion, is in his first year at St. John’s. He is well aware of his age. This will likely be his last stop, so he hopes to reinvigorate a New York City fanbase that once sold-out Madison Square Garden for every home game.
Pitino arrived in Queens back in March and immediately went shopping. The Red Storm overhauled the majority of its roster through the transfer portal. A team that missed out on March Madness last year, and has not advanced past the First Four play-in games since 2014, is now expected to not only make the NCAA Tournament but make a little run once there.
Ivy League Player of the Year Jordan Dingle will be the star. He recently used one word to describe what he appreciates most about his new coach. From there, Chris Ledlum, Sean Conway, Glenn Taylor, R.J. Luis, Nahiem Alleyne, and Zuby Ejiofor come over from Harvard, VMI, Oregon State, UMass, UConn and Kansas.
It appears as though Pitino may also have gone shopping for something beyond talent!
St. John’s beat Rutgers in overtime during an exhibition game over the weekend. The Red Storm blew a 20-point lead to the Scarlet Knights, but Pitino had a unique outlook on why it was actually a good thing.
Over the course of his entire career, Pitino has always worn a suit on the sideline.
That was even true at his introductory press conference.
However, as St. John’s played its first game of the new era over the weekend, Pitino wore a different kind of suit— a jumpsuit. He dressed down for the exhibition game.
Is this the mark of a new Pitino? Probably not. It was not a true regular season game.
More than likely, Pitino will be in a suit against Stony Brook on Nov. 7. But maybe, just maybe, this is the start of a new era?!